The 1967 Volvo 1800 S
The 1967 Volvo 1800 S once owned by Sir Roger Moore and featured in television’s The Saint is set to be the star of the Volvo stand at the upcoming Techno-Classica car show in Germany.
Feb 1, 2018
Just in case you’re too young to recall, “The Saint” was the alias of Simon Templar, a character created by author Leslie Charteris in the 1920s.
The Saint series of books spawned a series of films and later the popular television show, starring the dapper Moore before his James Bond days.
The car made its on-screen debut in the episode, ‘A Double in Diamonds,’ filmed in February 1967. Although technically it only appeared in the last two years of the show’s run, Simon Templar’s choice of sporty transport has become synonymous with the character in popular culture.
The show aired from October 1962 until February 1969 and was a big hit in the UK and the USA. It was also one of the first examples of a television show’s hero character driving a ‘hero’ car; in this instance a white Volvo P1800 coupe.
Moore liked the Volvo so much, he bought it and is the documented first registered owner. The London registration plates, NUV 648E, were issued on 20 January 1967.
Moore’s car was built at the Volvo Torslanda plant in Sweden, in November 1966. The 1800 S in Pearl White is equipped with Mini-Lite wheels with the rare original ‘truncated’ spoke design, Hella fog lamps and a Volvo wooden steering wheel. Inside, the car still has details from the filming of The Saint, such as a thermometer on the dashboard and a separate interior fan, used to cool the actors during studio filming.
The Saint’s P1800 will be in good company at Techno-Classica. It will appear alongside another Volvo 1800; an immaculate 1967 model belonging to Håkan Samuelsson, president and CEO of Volvo Cars.
Samuelsson’s classic is painted in the unusual light green colour and is arguably one of the finest 1800s in Europe.
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